Only Birds Can Fly
by Chiharu Kamoshiro
Summary: What if Miaka had died before summoning Suzaku? A last atoning wish from the Seiryu no Miko may be enough to save Konan and its people. Could there really be a second priestess? And what will the fate of the suffering Suzaku seishi be?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Fushigi Yuugi or any of its characters. And yes, I am aware that I am starting a new fic without finishing the old ones. You may get on my case for that. Yu Watase is a genius. I love her. Anyway…

Chapter 1: The Secret in the Library: A Maple Leaf Upon the Water

The coach's whistle sounded, and four simultaneous splashes followed. The swimmers of the Jonan Academy Swim Team swam freestyle across the length of the pool, arms shooting in and out of the water as they propelled themselves forward. They hit the far wall at different times, flipping around to make it back to their starting positions. When the first hand hit, the coach stopped her watch.

"Good, Miyazaki! Better by three seconds." She shouted as two heads bobbed out of the water. "Hoshihara, keep it up." A third hand hit, and finally, a fourth. "Seiichi, you're slow today." She said without enthusiasm.

"Gomen…" The last girl apologized, cheeks flushing.

Hoshihara Kaede hoisted herself out of the water and sat on the pool edge, lifting the goggles off her eyes. She lent an arm to Miyazaki Hanako to help her out as well.

"You almost tied me that time," Hanako said with a smile, removing her goggles as well.

"I better get at least as fast as you, Sempai." Kaede returned the grin, "I plan on running for captain next year."

Hanako laughed and stood, shaking the water off her hands. "You better keep Jonan's reputation up once I graduate!"

"We better keep Jonan's reputation up now." The coach interrupted, walking over with the rest of the girls on the female swim team. "The competition with Soudai is next week! We may have gotten a spot in the finals, but this next competition will determine what spot that is. We may run practices longer for the rest of the week, depending on how well you all do tomorrow." She checked her watch, "alright, hit the showers. See you tomorrow."

The girls turned, now shivering, and headed for the locker rooms.

"Hoshihara!" The coach called before the junior swimmer could leave. The girl stopped and turned around, curious.

"I think I may move you to breaststroke for the competition next week." She said, looking at a chart in her hands. "I think you'd be the best one for it."

Kaede was glad for the compliment, but her face revealed disappointment. "I thought I was going for the butterfly, sensei."

"You were, and you do it just fine, but I can't depend on Seiichi to pull this one off. I want you to practice breaststroke tomorrow."

Kaede nodded, then frowned once she headed for the locker room. The butterfly stroke was her specialty, but her coach was right. Seichii was slowing down. Forcing some optimism into her thoughts, Kaede pulled off her head cap, a mangled ponytail of brown falling against her neck.

"Breast stroke it is, then."

A bus ride and ten minute walk brought Kaede to the Akatori Apartment complex, and she climbed the three flights of stairs to get to 13D. She smelled the familiar scent of ramen as the door opened.

"Kae?" A voice called from the kitchen.

"Tadaima!" She called back, dropping her duffle and backpack on a chair and heading to the kitchen. Her father stood at the stove, stirring a pot of ramen noodles. "Dad, I could have made something…"

"Don't worry about it, Kae-chan." He interrupted, turning and smiling at her. She laughed at the steam that stuck to his glasses from leaning too far over the pot. "I need to go grocery shopping anyway. Do you have homework?"

"Hai…" She said. "I guess I should get started on that, huh?"

"Let's eat first." Mr. Hoshihara carefully carried the pot to the sink, emptying it into a strainer. "There are some pears on the counter."

The dining table in the kitchen was only large enough to fit a maximum of four people, but it provided enough space for Kaede and her father to eat dinner. Mr. Hoshihara was fairly silent throughout the meal. When the noodles in his bowl were half way gone, he spoke up.

"Your mother called today."

Kaede froze, her chopsticks almost to her lips. She didn't look up, but waited.

He sighed. "She wants to come to your competition next week against—"

"You told her about my competition?" Kaede interrupted, anger flashing in her eyes.

"Kae, she _is_ your mother." He continued, "She wants to watch you swim, she knows you love it."

"No!" Kaede loudly objected, standing up at the table. "I don't want her to come! Tell her not to come dad! Tell her it was cancelled… or _something_!"

Mr. Hoshihara rubbed his eyes under his glasses. "I already told her when it was, Kaede. Just let her come, we'll cheer for you."

"No, Dad!" Kaede shook her head, stepping away from the table. "If… if _that _woman comes… I won't compete!"

"Kae!"

"I won't!" She retorted. "I don't want to talk to her, dad! I don't want to _see_ her! And you shouldn't want to either! Why do you even talk to her anymore?"

"Please, Kae…"

"I promise you I won't even get into that pool if she shows up." She spoke coldly, avoiding eye contact. "Tell Sako to leave us alone."

There was no reply, but she hadn't expected one. Her father had such a passive nature… he never carried out an argument.

Filled with guilt, Kaede muttered a quick apology and left to her room to start her homework. She slammed her books onto the desk, sat down, sharpened a pencil, then got up again and flung herself onto the bed, hiding her face in a pillow. A few moments passed, and she returned to her desk, opening up her geography book. Attempting to clear her head, she began reading all there was to know about Australia.

Kaede groggily opened her eyes, the room dark with the exception of the lamp by her head. She sat up and peered at the clock on her dresser. It read 4:02 a.m. She glanced at the textbook she was sleeping on. She had fallen asleep doing her Japanese homework. With a sigh, she got out of the chair and set her alarm for 5:30, got into bed, and fell back to sleep.

When the alarm sounded, Kaede quickly got ready for school and threw her things together. While she was jotting down a quick message on a post-it for her dad to explain her early departure, she remembered that she had gone to sleep last night without doing something that could have critical consequences. Relieved that she remembered, and also that she still felt healthy, she went to the kitchen and opened up the crisper drawer in the fridge. She pulled out a black case and unzipped it, revealing several thin shot needles nestled together inside. She quickly went through the procedure of administering her insulin, and grabbed a few extra syringes for the case in her duffle, since she recalled needing to refill it. She usually only needed one injection before she went to bed, but she'd rather be safe than sorry. Shoving everything away, she stuck the pink note on the door and headed out into the early morning.

The walk to the National Library wasn't far. Going up the stairs to the front entrance, she noticed the doors were still locked. She checked her watch. She could get a good hour in before heading to school. A few minutes later, a janitor opened the door, and Kaede quickly went in and found a spot on a table to set up her homework. With a yawn, she finished up her Japanese worksheet and had some time to study for her English test before leaving for the bus stop.

The final bell of the school day jolted Kaede awake, and it took her a moment to remember she was in class. She recalled resting her head in the palm of her hand. _Guess I dozed off_, She thought. By the looks of it, the teacher hadn't noticed. She yawned and began picking up her notebook and pencils.

"Kae," A voice sounded next to her, "are you coming over tomorrow for the movie?"

Kaede's light blue eyes glanced over to meet a pair of dark ones. She couldn't help but return Meghan's smile. The American-transfer student had come here a little over a year ago and had proved to be one of Kaede's best friends.

"Hai." She replied, standing up from her desk. "Did we move it to later or is it still at noon?"

"11:00 a.m. sharp, Missie." Meghan near-ordered. She sighed. "Sundays are wonderful things. My American-Saturday."

Kaede laughed and lead the way out of the classroom. They headed towards the gym.

"Want to go to that new smoothie place?" Meghan asked, shuffling the large stacks of books she had, "It's supposed to be cheap… price wise, anyway."

She shook her head in the negative. "I've got a swim meet, remember? I'm supposedly being kept after longer too, for the competition against Soudai next week. That's what Coach Yoshita threatened, anyway."

"Sadist."

Meghan went her own way when they reached the gym doors, and Kaede went ahead to the swimming pool.

Kaede emerged from the locker rooms in the team-uniformed blue one-piece, her long hair in a high, wet ponytail on top of her head. The first half-hour of practice was open pool, so each girl could work on her weak spots. The boys' swim team used the other side of the pool. Bending over to gather her hair, she pulled a swim cap over her head and slid on her goggles. Standing on the platform as though she were in competition, she dived in the water and did a few lengths of freestyle to warm up.

"I want you to work on the butterfly today, Miyazaki." Coach Yoshita's voice reached Kaede's ears once she had stopped for a rest. She sighed and adjusted her goggles while using the pool ledge to hold her up in the water. Taking a few long breaths, she began practicing her new assignment—the breaststroke.

Breathing for the breaststroke took more concentration than for the butterfly, or at least it did for Kaede. The longer you held your breath, the farther you could go, but if she held her breath for too long, she'd come up gasping for air and would slow down. She did two lengths of breaststroke, paying more attention to form than speed. When she reached her starting position again, Coach Yoshita was waiting there with her stopwatch. "Ready?" She asked.

Knowing the drill, the junior swimmer nodded, and climbed out of the pool to take her position on the platform. She focused her eyes on the other end of the pool and waited for the signal.

"Ready… go!"

Leaping the platform, Kaede dived into the water and began an intense swim. She concentrated on the blue tiles of the pool floor that marked the lanes. Her hands pierced the water ahead of her, and her legs pushed her forward. She swiftly resurfaced for air, and continued. Reaching the wall, her feet shot forward and she flipped around, heading back for her coach. Form was everything for practice, but for competition, speed was what mattered.

Something red glimmered in the corner of Kaede's goggles. Focusing on the tiles again, her eyes widened as a large, red bird flew under her, gliding through the water like a bullet.

Kaede gasped. The painful sensation of the water punching her lungs sent her thrashing upwards for air.

"Kaede?"

"Kaede?"

"Sempai?"

Kaede sat up and coughed hard, her lungs straining for a taste of oxygen. One of her hands supported her and the other flew to her forehead where a massive headache was forming.

A chorus of sighing surrounded her, and it was then that she realized she was sitting on the side of the pool, the entire swim team around her, a few members of the boys' team there, too. Kaede thought of something to say, but luckily Coach Yoshita beat her to it.

"Thank heavens." She patted the girl on the back, "you scared me, Hoshihara. What happened out there?"

Kaede replied with a confused look.

"You were doing great, then suddenly you were like a fish out of water!" Yoshita exclaimed.

Kaede's cheeks turned pink. She coughed again then quietly asked, "How… long was I out?"

"Just a minute." Seiichi answered. "Are you okay?"

Kaede nodded, then stood up. "Gomen nasai…" she apologized. "I'll do it again."

Coach Yoshita shook her head. "I think that's enough for now. Why don't you go shower and go home, okay?" She suggested sympathetically. "There's practice on Monday, we'll work on it then."

Eager to get out of the spotlight, Kaede nodded and quickly headed to the locker rooms. She turned on the hot water in the shower, then kicked the wall.

"K'sou!" She cursed, wiping embarrassed tears from her eyes as the water poured over them. _What's wrong with me?_ She thought, _since when did I start hallucinating?_ She rinsed the chlorine out of her hair and shut off the shower, heading into the locker area. _Was it because I took my insulin late?_ She doubted it, but the excuse was good enough to settle her mind for the time being. Kaede dried off and got dressed, then grabbed her backpack and duffle bag and headed out of the gym.

Sitting on a bench outside, Kaede somberly tied the laces to the shoes she had worn to school. She checked her watch and then headed for the bus stop. She didn't know when the bus would arrive since she usually didn't leave school until 5:00, but she didn't think she'd have to wait any longer than 20 minutes or so. She held the strap of her duffle tightly in her hand as she walked. "If I did so bad at practice, how am I supposed to compete against Soudai?" She spoke quietly to herself, "…let alone finals…" _And they're only three weeks away._

Kaede waited ten minutes for the bus and took it home, debating on whether or not she should tell her dad about her practically near death experience at the pool. She got off the bus and started walking to her apartment complex, wording how she would say it in her head as she went. Being so deep in thought, the walk to her home went by quickly.

"I was just swimming and didn't up high enough for air." She said out loud, "Pretty lame, huh? Coach got me out of the water though, so I didn't swallow too much of it. I'm really fine, but you know coach… she wants us all the be safe and happy, ne?" She nodded and decided it sounded good. Her hand reached the rail of the first flight of stairs when her eyes locked onto an old 1994 Mitsubishi in the parking lot. Her fingers loosened and slipped right off the rail. Biting her lip, she moved towards it as if the car was rigged to blow up any second. She tilted her head and read the license plate. Instant rage filtered through her bloodstream and she turned sharply towards the apartment building. Kaede walked past the car and smacked the rear-view mirror as she passed, ambling back through the parking lot and returning to the sidewalk. She continued on at a brisk pace until she reached the National Library.

"Sako…" Kaede hissed as she slammed her books down on a small table inside the building. She took a few deep breaths to suppress her anger. She still couldn't understand why her father was even allowing her to _see_ his child. She was probably sitting there in the apartment right now, watching television or talking to one of her tramp-friends on the phone, waiting for her daughter to walk in so they could have a "chat". The idea made Kaede's stomach churn.

With nothing better to do, Kaede sat down and opened her geography textbook to begin reading the chapter on Aborigines. The first few paragraphs didn't connect to anything in Kaede's mind, being so distracted by other things, but eventually her mood lightened and she managed to read the chapter thoroughly. If she got her homework done now, she could have more time to waste away tomorrow. She then reached into her backpack and pulled out her English book, looking up the vocabulary she would be quizzed on next week—the ones she had missed taking notes on in class do to her unplanned nap. She then copied down the new Kanji she would be tested on in a separate notebook. Halfway through the characters, the sudden urge to use the restroom hit her. Leaving her things where they were, she quickly maneuvered through the bookshelves to the restroom. Upon reaching it, however, she saw a large white sign that said "out of order" posted on the women's room.

Not discouraged, Kaede remembered seeing another restroom on the second floor when she had come to look at videos once. Turning around, Kaede headed towards the stairs. She caught sight of some that were closer than the main ones, and took them instead.

Expecting to turn to another stairwell, the landing turned towards a single door, once that had a white sign on it as well, one that read "Authorized Personnel Only—Keep Out". She quirked an eyebrow then headed back down the stairs to the main floor. She found the main staircase and went to the second floor, using the bathroom there.

Finally returning to her studies, she finished copying the kanji and returned to her English vocabulary to practice pronunciations.

"Risuponsibiriti" She mumbled. She took a pencil and circled the part of the word that was accented. "Resu… Responsibirity." She scrolled down the list. "Re…fuji. "Re…fugi…" Was it refuge or refugee? She was pretty sure the "e" was silent, but one never was sure with English. Next word: "Riporouto…" She said, again circling the accent, "Reporoto…" She looked at the definition. Report.

Then it dawned on her. She had a report due in Japanese on Wednesday on a nonfiction book that she hadn't even selected yet, let alone read. She dropped her notebook and groaned. "Baka…."

Taking a deep breath, she remembered she was in a library—the National Library, at that. The biggest one in Japan. She could find a non-fiction book here and start it… but with only four days until the report was due and with so little free time to read it, she would have to find a book that was easy enough to skim through… or that was at least pretty self-explanatory. Deciding there wasn't else much she wasn't going to get done at the moment, she packed her things back in her back pack and left it under the table, knowing it was too heavy to carry around if she was just going to browse. She slid her lightweight duffle over one shoulder and started peering through the shelves.

Kaede stifled a yawn as she peered over random titles on the shelves, skipping over the aisles that she knew were all-fiction. She found several history books she could read, but the idea of doing a report on history wasn't appealing in the slightest. As she crossed a hallway to the next set of shelves, her mind wondered back to the door she had seen earlier. She had never gone up those stairs before, so she had no idea the room even existed. Since when did a library have a room that was "staff only"? The only one she could think of was the librarian's lounge, but that was behind the front desk. Filled with curiosity, Kaede made her way to the spot that she remembered finding the narrow staircase. When she reached it, she peered around to make sure none of the usual librarians her janitors were in sight, then speedily went up the stairs and to the room. She placed her hand on the doorknob, her eyes staring down the sign that denied her entrance. She slowly turned the knob…

It was locked. She frowned. So much for that exciting adventure. She jiggled it a few more times before letting go, and was about to head down the stairs when she heard the soft creaking of hinges.

She spun around, seeing the door to the secret room ajar. Kaede walked back to the room and pushed the door open. The janitor must have locked it without actually closing is all the way. She entered the pitch-dark room and reached around for a light switch. She found one and flipped it up, light filtering through the area. It was in need of a new bulb, with the way it flickered. She closed the door behind her to conceal her entrance, but didn't shut it all the way incase it locked from both sides.

The room had no window, and wasn't very large at all. The librarian's lounge was probably bigger than it was. Books lined either edge of the area, with four other bookcases in the middle of it. She stepped in between the first set of cases and pulled a book out, reading the title. "Japanese Architecture: A Lesson on Form". She put the book back, and read the title of the next one: "Creating Continents—Pangea". This was definitely a non-fiction section; Kaede had struck a gold mine. Why these books weren't out with the others, she didn't know. The only reason she could think of was that they all seemed pretty old.

She ran her finger over the dusty shelves and went up another aisle, stopping at a yellow-covered book that was titled "Roots of Chinese Myths". She opened it up to the middle and scanned over the pages. It was in Chinese Kanji, but wasn't so bad that she couldn't read it. Plus, it was a non-fiction book on fiction-like things, so it might not be such a bad read. Closing the book, Kaede headed back for the door. Before she left the domain of the bookshelves, however, her eyes caught sight of a novel that was sticking out a few inches farther than the rest. Placing the myth book on the floor, she pulled this one off the shelf and looked at the cover. "Shijin Tenchi Sho," she read. She flipped the book over to read to summary on the back, but found there wasn't one. The feel over the cover under her fingertips revealed it to be made of a layer of cloth. She opened the book, but didn't find a summary on the inside cover either. She skimmed over the writing on the first page. It was in Chinese Kanji too, but looked easier to read than the mythology hardback by her feet.

"With death comes destruction, but with love come a new light." Kaede read the first sentence. It didn't seem to be non-fiction, but she read on anyway. "As a nation nears… annihilation… a new priestess will appear to save it." Kaede wondered if her translation was right by the odd sentences she was speaking. "The priestess will summon the beast god and will be granted three wishes in return. The spell starts as soon as the first page is turned…"

Kaede's eyes focused on the asterisk at the end of the first page. Was this some kind of strange prologue? Shrugging her shoulders, she turned the page. Before she could begin reading, a bright light shot out of the book, illuminating the room with its brilliance. Kaede shrieked and dropped the book, an alien birdcall emitting from the pages as it hit the floor. She took a step back before the light intensified so much that she had to shield her eyes. The warmth of the light engulfed her body and she felt the floor give way under her feet.

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Translations:

Tadaima – I'm Home

Sempai – Reference to older student/school mate in a higher grade

Hai- Yes

Ne- Literal Translation is "right"

K'sou- Japanese curse word


	2. Fated by Illness

Translations:

On'na - Japanese curse word, literally means "woman"

Tasukete - Help/Help me

Arigatou - Thank you

Ahou - Moron

Chapter 2: Inside the Shijin Tenchi Sho: Fated by Illness

The only way Kaede could describe the sensation that engulfed her body was nausea, but all over. When felt solid ground under her, the feeling faded away from her. Slowly opening her eyes, her first thought was how the room of the library had sudden illuminated itself, and that she hadn't realized the floor was so rough…

A gasp escaped her and she bolted upright, eyes darting about her surroundings. She wasn't in the National Library, but a large field—covered with stubs of dried grass, weeds, and random spots of gravel. Noticing the immodest position of her skirt, Kaede adjusted it, taking in the landscape one more time. There were mountains in the distance, but they looked much smoother than the ones she was used to. The air was warmer and drier than the library… and she was alone.

Kaede cautiously stood up, almost afraid her legs wouldn't work. Again, she looked at the foreign area, turning around slowly as she did so. "Where… am I?" She voiced her thought. "I'm not… hallucinating again…?" She brushed dirt off her plaid school uniform and clasped her hands tightly. There was no way a hallucination could be this real… was there?

Taking a few steps forward, her foot hit something, and she peered down to see her black duffle bag lying on its side in a puddle of wilting flowers. She picked it up and brushed it off, thankful that it had come with her. The idea came to her that she may have blacked out and someone had taken her home from the library… but why would she be in the middle of a field, and by herself? And this field… she didn't recognize it--or anything around her.

Carefully putting the duffle on her shoulder and holding onto the straps as though it were a life preserver, she slowly walked across the field, hoping to see something--or someone--that was familiar to her. She reached the end of the field and found a dirt road, and though the idea of staying where she was until a person found her seemed a good one, she decided to follow this path to what hopefully would be some answers.

It wasn't long before she could hear noise in the distance, and upon further listening it sounded like a crowd of people. As the noise grew louder, Kaede could pinpoint it to be on the other side of the wall of trees the road followed. Seeing no turn in the lane, she climbed up a small slope to the brush and winded her way through the oaks. When she got on the other side, she froze.

Before her was some sort of market place, but nothing like the malls she went to in Tokyo. There were booths and animals everywhere, and when she looked closer, she noticed the third-world look of the place. The cloth tops to the small shops were dirty and worn, and so were the people in them. A transaction was being made to her far left, and both merchant and customer avoided eye contact and mumbled to each other. The awe of what was happening to her brought up memories of a favorite childhood film.

"I don't think I'm in Tokyo anymore…" Kaede breathed, touching a hand to her chest. One foot after another, she wandered into the thin streets of the town, blue eyes gawking at what surrounded her. The further in she got, the worse is became. She saw a sick man leaning against the side of one of the shops, using the collar of his shirt to hide his face.

_His shirt…_ she thought, then glanced at the people passing by her, _what clothes are these people wearing? They're…_ Kaede's eyes met with a woman's who was looking back at her, and she felt embarrassed for staring. _What is going on?_

A loud tenor voice sounded ahead of her, and a few people quickly rushed by her to get away from it. She stepped to the side of the street to get out of the way, looking ahead to see what the fuss was about. There were three men, all rather large, dressed in armor and clad in blue, a gold symbol of some sort of serpent on their breastplates. The one shouting was holding up the arm of a woman no older than 30 and shaking her violently, while a man guarding a child pleaded with him, anguish written on his face.

"You want to do that again!" The soldier shouted, spitting in the woman's face and cursing loudly at her.

"Gomen nasai!" She cried out, obviously in pain.

"Please sir," the man, assumingly the husband, begged, "she didn't realize it!"

"Konan stupidity." A second guard grunted, folding his arms tightly. "No one, especially this _woman_, may speak in our presence! Righteous pigs! We'll make an example out of you!"

"No!" The woman cried, shielding herself with her free arm as the soldier holding her drew his sword.

Kaede covered her mouth in horror at the sight she was witnessing. Where were the police? Were these guys serious?

Knowing better than to hesitate, she dashed forward, running towards the guard right before he brought his arm down. Though her weight compared to his was ridiculously pathetic, she managed to shove him enough to cause a stumble and get him away from the helpless woman.

"Are you okay!" Kaede asked, sounding panicked. The family gazed at her in disbelief. She got a quick nod from the father as the three scurried out of the way.

"Why you…" the soldier's voice was thick with anger. He lifted up his sword and swung down at her, hitting the very edge of her shoe as she leapt away.

Kaede shrieked and looked at the damage. "Those are real swords!" She made the observation clear and loud.

"Damn right they are, and you're their next meal!" The second one bellowed, drawing his as well. The third man behind him followed suit.

Adrenaline like Kaede had never felt before rushed though her veins and she nearly fell over as she broke out into a run, the three men rushing after her. She whizzed passed the shops she had just come by, barely missing a goat that casually strolled into her way.

"Someone help me!" She cried, pumping her legs in desperation to get away. The sound of the heavy boots chasing her grew louder, and before she could try to dodge another direction, a strong hand grabbed her elbow and yanked her backwards.

"You won't be getting' any help outta this town!" The large man yelled, raising his sword as the other two grabbed her arms and help her in place. Kaede's tearing eyes looked into their faces and saw nothing but merciless grins staring back at her.

She shut her eyes for the impact. "NO!" She screamed.

At the sound of the shout, a bright, red light encircled her body like a shell, then shot outwards into the soldiers, sending them flying back without any physical force at all. Kaede opened her eyes, recognizing the light as the same phenomenon that had shot out of the Chinese book at the library. The light encompassed everything around her, a few bystanders gaping at its brilliance.

Opening her hands, Kaede watched the supernatural color dance on her palms, and then slowly fade around her until it was replaced with the normal atmosphere of the day. She was awe-struck at witnessing such a marvelous wonder, and whispered thanks to it in her mind.

"What… What kind of sorcery is this?" One guard stuttered, getting back to his feet. A rage more severe than the one before illuminated his face. "On'na!" He cursed, his fellow soldiers standing to back him up. "You will die a thousand deaths where you stand!"

Panic once again filling her; Kaede tore through the streets, the previous chase picking up again. Like before, the thudding of feet behind her grew louder and louder, and she knew without a doubt she'd be caught again, and felt sure that the red light that had saved her only seconds ago would not make a reappearance.

"Tasukete!" She screamed, feeling her legs tire beneath her. She felt something smash into her, but from the side, not from where the guards were. She grabbed whatever she could hold onto of the body that was suddenly next to her, and the air whipped by her so fast she was near paralyzed. She felt herself and the person holding her fly up into the air, giving her a chance to open her eyes to see what on earth was happening. However, she only caught a glimpse of a jaw line before something hard hit her stomach, and the world around her became dark.

When Kaede woke up, she found herself staring at a wood ceiling covered in dozens of support beams. She stared at it as she fully woke into consciousness. She sat up, feeling the beginning of a headache, and a bit of queasiness in her stomach.

"I've got to stop doing this…" She moaned, rubbing her head. The clip that held her bangs back was about to fall out, so she fixed it into place before taking in her surroundings. Again, they were foreign, but much homier than the field had been. As she softly touched the quilt underneath her, the memories of the market place flooded back crisp and clear. Who were those men? That light? Who had saved her? How did she wind up in this strange place, and more importantly, where in the world was she now?

She got off the small bed and looked herself over, everything seemingly still intact. She was about to explore when a sense of fatigue washed over her, and she sat back onto the stiff mattress. She could easily tell the impression apart from the queasiness in her stomach. She hadn't eaten anything since lunch that day, and she always felt like this when she went too long without eating…

The sound of creaky hinges alerted Kaede to another presence. At the other end of the room, in a doorway, stood a thin-looking man, one who was probably just a little older than her. He had an almost grimy appearance about him, and he placed his hands on his hips while he looked her up and down.

Kaede couldn't help but feel a little violated.

"Well, looky here. I leave for a few hours and come back to find this in my room." He smiled. "I guess it's m'lucky day, a pay off for all th'work I've be'n doin'."

Kaede's jaw dropped. "W-what?"

He slowly stepped away from the door. "Just be quiet, we can't be lettin' too much noise…"

His speech was cut off by a swift smack to the head by a much taller and more hygienic-looking male.

"Get off it, Isho." He muttered, pushing the scrawny boy back to the door. "She's in here 'cause th'room was open. Go find some use fer yerself."

Isho frowned, cast one eye towards Kaede, and obediently left the room. Kaede was indeed grateful for the interjection by this new person, but was weary of what his intentions were.

The two had a sort of staring contest before she spoke up.

"Who… who are you?" She asked.

She didn't get a reply right away, but instead saw this new man look her up and down, and her worries became more prominent. She crossed her arms over her chest as though she was under an X-ray.

The man shook his head. "I wasn't lookin' at nuthin'." He met her eyes. Kaede noticed how different his eyes were from the people back home… his hair too. There was no way a mane that orange was natural.

"Where… am I?" She changed the question, avoiding an awkward silence.

The man hesitated, "I'm not sure I c'n tell ya that."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Can you tell me _something_?" She asked. "Like, who you are, for example?"

"Genrou." His response was quick that time.

"Gen… rou." She repeated the name. "Now," she took a deep breath, "how did I get here?"

"Why don'cha tell me who you are first?" He remarked, folding his arms. He looked at her like she was a suspect in some murder case.

"I…" Kaede searched for words, "My name is Kaede, Hoshihara Kaede. And…" She looked around, a look of desperation crossing her features. She leaned her weight onto the bed. "Where am I?"

"I said I couldn't tell ya that." He said a little harsher than he had meant to. The stranger glanced up at him with a hopeless expression, and he regretted saying it. "…sorry… but, it's fer yer own good."

Kaede stared off for a moment. "One second you're doing homework in a library, and the next, you're in some strange place that looks like ancient China…"

Though she hadn't been looking at him, she could sense his stiff reaction to those words. Had she said something wrong?

Genrou looked her over again. Her strange clothes were a similar fashion to the girl's he had met two years before—but one thing was sure, they were foreign. Very foreign. And that light…

"That light," he said, his voice almost a whisper, "what was that light?"

Kaede gave him an inquisitive glance.

He seemed to be getting a little frustrated. "In the market place, when those damn guards were chasin' ya like chickens with their damn heads off."

Kaede stood again, realization hitting her. "It was you!" She pointed.

"What?"

She walked up to him. "You were the one who saved me!"

"Don't go changin' the subject!"

A smile lit on her face. "But… it was you, wasn't it?"

Genrou paused, then nodded. "But before you get all mushy or somethin', I only did it cause of that light n'all—"

"Arigatou." Kaede whispered. "You saved my life, Genrou."

The man looked uncomfortable, and scratched the back of his head. "Yer welcome, but…"

"The light." Kaede remembered. "I… I don't know what it is, what it was—it's the same light that brought me here."

The same reaction as before struck Genrou, but Kaede didn't notice.

Kaede paced for a moment in thought. "If you can't tell me where I am, can you tell me how I got here? It's like…" she pondered, "a whole other world."

"There's no way," he said, barely audible.

"Huh?"

He shook his head in disbelief, and backed up a bit. "Miaka… she died… could there really be… another one?"

Kaede stepped towards him. "What are you talking about?"

Genrou seemed seriously ill. "I don't know." He looked away, peering down the hallway the door to the room lead to.

He didn't speak for a long time with so many thoughts plaguing his mind. He ran a hand through his orange hair. _Could she be…?_

A faint thud sounded behind him, and he turned around to see Kaede on her knees, hand on her forehead. Concerned, he quickly knelt beside her. "You okay?" He asked.

Kaede shook her head in the negative. "It's been a while since I last ate… my blood sugar's getting low." She glanced around the room. _Oh no… I must have lost my bag when I was running in the market… my meter's in there…_

"Blood sugar?" Genrou questioned. "What th'hell are you talking about?" When she didn't reply, He stood up and took her arm, helping her do the same. "If yer hungry, just say so. I'm sure we got somethin' layin' 'round here."

Genrou lead the fatigued girl through the hallway, getting a few odd looks from others that passed him. It wasn't too long before the narrow hallways lead into a small dining area.

"Sit." He ordered, and Kaede obliged him. He went to the other side of the room, made some clamor, and returned with a pear in his hands. "Here."

Kaede took the pear and bit into it, hardly taking time to taste it before she swallowed. "Thank you."

Genrou sat down across from her, watching curiously as she ate the fruit. "We don' got nuthin' sweet, sorry."

Kaede shook her head. "No, this is perfect. Thank you."

He watched her a little longer before another question arose. "But didn't you say… somethin' 'bout blood sugar?"

Kaede looked over. "If I go too long without eating, my blood sugar goes down. I have to be careful. It's just what comes with diabetes."

Genrou was completely lost, but didn't say anything. Kaede finished the pear, and he threw the rest of it away.

"My meter was in the bag I had when I came here," she explained without being asked, "I really should test myself, but…"

"What did it look like?" He inquired.

Kaede easily recalled the duffle. "It was black, with yellow handles—"

"Ya mean that thing?" Tasuki pointed across the room. Kaede turned around and saw her duffle back sitting by the entrance.

"Yes!" She exclaimed, getting up from the table and running over to it. "Thank goodness…" She unzipped it and found all of her belongings in there, unharmed. Her meter case, swimsuit, towels, even her granola bar hadn't been touched.

She pulled out a black case and unzipped it as well. It opened up to several syringes of insulin on one side, and a blue colored device on the other. She popped open the meter and took a small stick out of it, along with a thin strip of paper.

Genrou sauntered over and peered over her shoulder, watching Kaede place the small stick on her finger and hitting a button on the end of it. After a quick _click!_ She moved it away, a droplet of blood forming on her finger.

"What th'hell are ya doin'?" Genrou pulled the needle out of her hands.

Kaede turned as if offended. "What? Give that back! Don't tell me you've never seen someone do this before!"

She held out her hand, and Genrou reluctantly returned the item. Going back to her work, she put the drop of blood on the paper and inserted it into the meter, placing the pierced finger in her mouth for a moment. A number in bold, black print popped up on the screen, and Kaede seemed relieve.

"What the…" Genrou grabbed the meter away from her and examined it. "How does this thing work?"

"Like I know." Kaede retorted, grabbing it back. "I just stick the strip in and it tells me if I'm dieting right."

Genrou raised an eyebrow, but dropped the subject.

"Ne, Genrou," Kaede's voice called behind him as he lead her through the cramped hallways of the strange place she was in, "where do I go after this?"

"What d'ya mean?"

She slowed down, gazing at the walls of the corridors that were complied of either wood or packed dirt. "I mean… I don't know how to get home. I don't even know how I got here." She sighed, "am I staying here, or am I just the day's charity case?"

"I don't do charity cases." Genrou replied. "Yer stayin' here 'til I c'n figure out what ta do with ya."

"And your ideas are?" Kaede questioned.

Genrou turned around, but didn't say anything. He turned back and kept going.

"Hey!" Kaede ran ahead of him, stopping him. "What do you plan on doing with me?"

Still, no answer. He just kept walking.

"Do I just sit around and wait for your whimsical desire?" She interrogated, "Do I get to play housekeeper for a while? Or do I get to be knocked out again and wake up in another strange man's bedroom?"

"Hey!" Genrou raised his voice, turning around. The motion startled Kaede. "Jus' cuz these guys chose banditry fer a livin', doesn't make us criminals or nuthin'."

"Bandits?" She repeated, "You're a bandit?"

"Like it's a big surprise." He continued on his previous path.

Kaede found herself speechless, and followed him a bit further before finding her voice. "Genrou…" she said, softer.

"What?" He turned again.

Kaede looked away. "What… what _is_ going to happen to me?"

The bandit's hard exterior alleviated. "Kaede… It's Kaede, right?"

A nod.

He sighed. "Kaede, you may jus' be the answer t'our prayers."

The sentence surprised her. "Your…prayers?"

He looked thoughtfully down the hallway again. "When Miaka died, everythin' went downhill. It jus' got bad, y'know? But… if yer the next priestess, if there really could be a 'nother priestess, then maybe…"

"Wait," Kaede stopped him, "Priestess? What do you mean?"

He just turned up the corridor again, and the guest had no choice but to follow him. The area got more and more narrow until the path came to a dead end, a rope ladder hanging down from the ceiling. Genrou started climbing up it, and pushed a wooden board at the top of it, rays of sunlight streaming passed him as he did so. He climbed out, then poked his head back into the hole.

"You comin'?"

Kaede secured her bag on her shoulder and took hold of the ladder, struggling a bit to reach its top. Genrou lent her a hand and pulled her up, replacing the board over the exit and covering it with dirt and leaves.

Looking around, Kaede found herself in the middle of a forest. "We were _underground_?"

"Yep, only place fer a bunch of outlaws like us t'go." He replied, brushing his hand off and walking past her. "Used t'live on a big mountain, but ever since Kutou brought their sorry asses over here, we've had t'do a bit of sneakin' around."

"Kutou?"

Genrou looked up into the trees, selecting one to begin climbing. "I guess I'll have t'catch ya up on that."

Kaede moved to the tree and watched the man scale its branches. "What are you doing?"

Near the top of the tree, Genrou perched himself on one of the branches, opening up what Kaede made out to be a cage. He reached his hand out and pulled out a bird that had a likeness to a Mourning Dove.

"See that tree over there?" He pointed.

Kaede shielded her eyes and scanned where he was directing her. "Yes."

"Go break me off a piece of it."

Complying, she went to the rather small willow tree and broke off a seven-inch piece of one of its branches, returning to find Genrou stroking the bird's back.

"Here." She handed him the twig.

He broke it in half and tossed the other piece, holding the shorter stem out to the bird. The bird leapt to his hand and grasped it in its small feet, then took off towards the sky and out of sight.

"What was all that for?" Kaede queried.

"Guess it's a sort of homin' signal… somethin' like that." He headed back to the hidden entrance to the underground tunnels, carefully revealing it. "Hopefully that bird won't take too long, it would make this a lot easier. Can't send a real note in case it gets intercepted."

More confused than ever, Kaede went back into the hideout, waiting at the bottom of the ladder for her new acquaintance.

"Can you tell me where I am now?" She said when he reached the floor.

"Reikaku." He answered without hesitance. "We're in Konan, not too far away from where I found you."

It helped to know where she was currently, but not knowing the place "where he found her" proved it difficult for her to draw a map in her head. She did know one thing for sure though—She _definitely_ wasn't in Tokyo anymore. In fact, she didn't think she was anywhere _near_ Japan.

"There's a room close t'mine you c'n stay in, fer now, anyway." Genrou said as he lead her through the place she had declared a maze after a small dinner. "It's pretty cramped'n all, but it's probably better if ya stay closer to me."

Kaede smirked. "I thought you said there weren't any criminals down here."

Genrou reached a door and opened it, giving the younger person a defiant stare. "There ain't, but most girls are afraid of mice and dumb stuff like that."

She rolled her eyes and entered the room. He was right; it was cramped. It was smaller than the one she had in her apartment, which would be considered quite tiny by today's living standards. However, it did have a bed and a table, which was enough for her to ask for.

She sat on the bed while Genrou fiddled with the lantern to make it brighter.

"I don't have anything." Kaede spoke, meaning it only for herself.

"Any of what?"

Kaede shrugged. "Well, I wasn't really planning on a sleepover—I don't have a toothbrush, or a change of clothes…"

"I'll see what I can do." Genrou replied, sounding as if she was being picky.

While the bandit was working with the lighting, Kaede reached into her duffle bag and pulled out her meter case. She unhooked one of the syringes and took out a travel-size package of baby wipes. Cleaning off her arm, she popped off the cap to the needle and chose a spot to insert it.

"WHAT ARE YA DOIN'!" Genrou exclaimed, darting for the needle and confiscating it. "You on drugs or somethin'?"

"Genrou!" Kaede stood up, trying to get the needle back. "That's my insulin, Ahou! I'm a diabetic, remember!"

At the sight of her fury Genrou returned the syringe, and Kaede sat back down and practically shoved the thing into her arm.

"Whaddya mean a diabetic?" He repeated the alien word.

Kaede looked at him in frustration, but the confusion on his face made it fade away. "You really don't know what diabetes is?"

He shook his head no.

"Do you know what a pancreas is?"

He paused, then pointed to his abdomen. "That's a thing down here, right?"

"Right." Kaede assured. "The pancreas releases insulin into your blood stream to help process the sugars that your body takes in with the food you eat. When you have diabetes, the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin, if any at all, so you have to take it artificially." She looked for a place to put the empty syringe, but not finding a waste bin, replaced the cap and put it on the table. "Luckily the diabetes I have only requires I take one shot a day, unless I get stupid with what I eat. Some people have to take insulin every time they put food into their mouths."

Genrou nodded in understanding. "That sucks. I ain't ever heard of someone havin' a disease like that."

Kaede ignored the comment at first, but then froze, holding her meter case in her lap. She glanced at Genrou, blue eyes filled with worry. "You mean… you've _never_ heard of someone having diabetes?"

"No."

"There's no way…" she trailed off. When she had come into this world, she had noticed how ancient it seemed. Even now, with the lantern, she noticed there wasn't any electricity. Plus, there was the way Genrou had reacted to her meter earlier that day.

"That means… the disease doesn't exist in this world…" She breathed, sounding flabbergasted. "Genrou… I can't get any insulin here, can I?"

"Uh… no." He said, as if it was obvious. He saw the anxiety on her face and worried a little himself. "What happens if ya don't get any of this insulin stuff?"

Kaede's eyes watered lightly as she shook her head in disbelief. "When my insulin runs out…

…I'll die."

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Author's note: Thank you to those who reviewed. This is my first fic having a complete OOC be the main character, so let me know what you think!


	3. A Second Priestess: An Answer from a Str

Note from the Author: Sorry it's taken me forever and a day to update this. I've had personal laziness and beta issues. (I love you Ama!) But, here's chapter 3, so I hope you all enjoy.

To Bant: I'm glad you like the diabetes aspect of this. I do to. Hmm… contacts, I like that!

To Amaya: My number one Tasuki fan, eh? You'll enjoy this chapter.

To any other reviewers: Thank you for sending your comments in! They inspire me. I need to go update "Hajime" before my inbox spills over….

Translations:

Demo: But

Matte: Wait

Arigatou: Thank You

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Chapter 3: A Second Priestess: An Answer From a Stranger

Kaede lay awake in bed early in the morning, staring at the wood-plastered ceiling in the dim light of the morning. Being underground, her watch was the only thing that let her know what time of day it was. However, judging by the time Genrou and she had gone to bed last night, she predicted it was roughly four and a half hours fast.

It had been a restless night, and not because of the time difference she underwent. Her worrying mind kept her awake, though she did manage to drift off into sleep for short periods of time before waking again. She was so lost, physically and mentally. She still didn't know where "Reikaku" was or why she was there, and the words Genrou had said to her the day before were bewildering.

"_Miaka… she died… could there really be… another one?"_

"_Kaede, you may jus' be the answer t'our prayers."_

What was "another one"? And who was Miaka? Had someone like Kaede been taken to this strange world before?

After long deliberation, Kaede knew that the book she had found in the National Library, the Shijin Tenchi Sho, had somehow brought her here. How, she wasn't sure. However, even these questions were not what had kept her up during the night.

Kaede was a diabetic. She had been since she was 11. She had needed an injection of insulin every day since then, sometimes more. Her disease, which was fairly common back home, didn't even exist in this world. If it did, no one knew how to diagnose it, most likely.

She had five doses of insulin with her when she arrived, and she used one of them last night. The way she figured it, she had roughly six days altogether, and one was gone. She felt like an egg timer… once the ring sounded…

She could only recall ever having an accident once, when she had first been diagnosed with the disease. She had hating getting the shots every single day, and they made her sore. Her fingertips, not used to the new routine, ached from being constantly poked for blood samples. So she stopped, figuring since she had been just fine before, she'd be just fine not taking the insulin. She remembered being tired all day at school, and after dinner—well, she didn't recall what happened exactly, but she had woken up in the hospital. She promised her dad never to forget her insulin again.

Kaede wondered what it would be like to go comatose, or even…

A swift knock came at the door and it opened without an invitation, Genrou's familiar head of orange hair poking into the small room. Noticing that she was awake, he turned a knob on the lantern and let more light into the area.

"Sleep okay?" He finally said.

Kaede shook her head, "I guess I'm just not used to sleeping outside of my own bed." She lied, smiling faintly, "and it's a little cold." She took a moment to scan the clothes the bandit was wearing. They consisted of several more layers than what he had been wearing yesterday, and he had a cloak around his shoulders.

"You should rest some more," he began, "I'm headin' out fer a while, but I'll send someone by to check up on ya and all."

She sat up. "Demo…"

He left, shutting the door behind her.

Kaede watched the spot Genrou had just been in for a moment, then threw the covers off herself and ran to the door. "M-matte!" She shouted after him, opening the door to a dark hallway. "I don't know anyone else around here!"

After several moments of silence, she realized her objections were futile, and returned to bed.

Kaede, having actually fallen asleep, awoke to a loud, firm knocking on her door. She glanced at her wristwatch. She had only slept for about an hour. She was going to inquire who was at her door, but, to her surprise, the mystery man did it for her.

"Who's there? A little help th' boss sent fer the new guest. Oh! Let me get dressed. Okay." There was a pause, "I'm ready! I'm comin' in!"

The door opened and a man entered who had a few similar traits to Genrou, though his hair was colored blue and his eyes were green. There was also a long scar running down his right cheek.

Kaede raised an eyebrow at the circus act she had just witnessed.

"So," he spoke, "You must be the ass-kicker Genrou brought home."

She blinked several times. "And you are…?"

"Name's Kouji." The bandit smiled. "Genrou had to leave fer th' usual errands, so I get t'be the babysitter fer a while."

She frowned. "Babysitter?"

He nodded and stuck his thumb out the way he had come. "Breakfast'll be ready soon, so y'should come eat."

Hesitantly Kaede got out of bed and slipped the vest to her uniform back on, followed by her socks and shoes. She grabbed her hairclip off the table and put her bangs back as she followed Kouji down to the dining area.

There were a lot more men at the tables that morning then there had been the day before, and she watched them carefully as Kouji went to get her some food. By the time he returned, Kaede had given up all hope of seeing another woman in the place.

She ate her rice quietly, occasionally examining the room and the men in it. She caught a few looking her way, and one licked his lips when she met his eyes. Disgusted, she decided it would be better to stare at her own table.

The silence continued a little longer before she thought of a conversation starter. "What's Kutou?"

"Huh?" Kouji asked, giving her his attention.

"Kutou," she repeated, "Genrou mentioned something about them yesterday. It didn't sound good."

Kouji put his chin in his hand. "You really don't know much of anythin', do ya?" Seeing a negative response, he went on. "Th' country yer in right now is Konan. It ain't as big as these other ones around us, but it works out." He plopped some rice into his mouth and quickly swallowed it. "Kutou's the country next t'us, in the east. Bunch of low-life bastards over there. The place is obsessed with blood n' war, and th' emperor has wanted Konan's land fer a long time. Anyway, two years ago, no thanks to the Seiryu no Miko, Kutou finally got its wish. Konan's armies just died out—I don't know the details of exactly what happened. But now all our people gotta suffer under this new Emperor's tyranny, they can't even do so much as breathe too loudly or they'll get the knife."

Kaede stared wide-eyed as she heard the story, not knowing if she should say any words of sympathy or just remain silent.

"A lot of th' men gotta work in metal-mining and whatever crap th' government wants 'em t'do. That's one of th' reasons we all live underground like this. Actually, it's a good thing we moved when we did, 'cause Reikaku, the old one, got burned to th' ground just a week or two later."

"That's horrible." Kaede whispered. "Did the emperor… Konan's emperor, did he…"

"Do anythin' t'stop it?" Kouji finished for her, "There wasn't much he could do. Him 'n his whole family's been under a sort of house arrest ever since the 'big blue' stepped in."

She took a moment to absorb this information. The passage from the Shijin Tenchi Sho she had read came to mind. Could it have been talking about Konan?

"Lucky fer us they haven't found Genrou yet."

"Lucky?" She repeated.

"It'd be a pain gettin' a new leader." He explained.

Her jaw dropped. "He's… the leader?"

A nod. "I told you th' boss was th' one who sent me."

Again, she took a moment to let Kouji's words sink in. "And they want him because he's the leader?"

"Nah, they want him 'cause he's a member of the Suzaku seven." Kouji grinned as though saying it was an honor, "to this day they only know where three of the seven are. Genrou's still safe."

After breakfast, Kaede thanked Kouji for his assistance and said she was tired, so he led her back to her room. She lay down on top of the covers for a while, contemplating the new information she had been given.

So Genrou was the leader of the Reikaku bandits? It was hard to believe, he seemed so young. No older than 21, she guessed. And one of the Suzaku seven? Who were the Suzaku seven? And why would Kutou want to know where they were? It seemed every new thing Kaede learned, a handful of new questions came with it.

Unable to go back to sleep, Kaede quietly opened the door to her room and looked around, not seeing anyone. She stepped out into the hallway. She noticed the floor was made of packed dirt. She recognized one corridor as the one Kouji had led her down and back up again when they had gone to the dining room. Not wanting to run into anyone, she took the small path to her left. She came upon another door, opened it, and peeked in. The room inside was like hers, but a little larger. It was also cluttered with articles of clothing and wood chips. Uninterested, she continued on the path. The next door was further away, and a little bigger than the last. She opened it and peeked in too, hoping she wouldn't walk in on someone. Not hearing anyone, she widened the gap more and stuck her head in.

This room was about twice… maybe three times the size of the last. The bed was bigger, too. The floor was still nothing but packed dirt and the ceiling still had the same support beams as the rest of the place, but it seemed… homier. Kaede stepped inside and shut the door behind her.

"Hello?" She called, just to be sure. Getting no response, she walked around slowly, looking over everything. She first went to a dresser along the right wall. There was a single string of prayer beads on it, and a pair of violet earrings. She marveled at the pieces of jewelry, liking the earrings the most. She became aware that she was snooping, and felt a little guilty, stepping away from the dresser. She debated continuing her escapade when a voice startled her.

"Y'probably shouldn't be in here."

She jumped and turned, seeing Kouji at the doorway. He didn't look mad, which made her breathe a sigh of relief. "Gomen, I didn't mean to…"

"It'll be our little secret." He teased, opening the door wider to let her out. "Genrou doesn't got anythin' t'hide anyway."

Kaede felt embarrassed as she returned to the hallway. _So that was Genrou's room, huh?_

"Ne, Kouji," she said as they started to move again, "can we go outside?"

Kouji turned around and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm… not sure that's a great idea, this place supposedly bein' secret and all."

"Oh." Kaede replied, "It's just… kinda cramped down here. Isn't there a back exit or something?"

He thought for a moment, then agreed. "Alright, let's go."

Kouji led her to the same ladder Genrou had, and he scanned the outside before letting her come up. He pulled the cover back over the entrance and hid it cleverly, tossing a few pebbles onto it for the finishing touches.

Kaede pulled up her knee-highs and started walking, then broke out into a run, winding around the willow tree and back. It felt good to stretch out her legs.

"There aren't any swimming pools around here, are there?"

Kouji looked at her strangely. "Swimmin' pool? Well… there's a lake 'bout a mile that way." He pointed.

She looked in the direction and nodded. "Good, I'll remember that."

While Kaede explored the area around them, Kouji kept his guard up, watching for any sign of irregular movement or wayward persons. Not many souls came by this way, but he'd rather be safe than sorry.

Once getting her feel of the outdoors, Kaede headed back to Kouji to go back inside.

"Incoming!" He called as she neared him.

The girl looked up so see a bird flying at her. She shrieked and ducked, feeling its wingtips brushing her hair as she did so. She turned to see it land on an outstretched arm.

"Genrou?" Kaede asked.

Genrou took something out of the bird's grasp and walked towards them. "What're you guys doin' out here?"

"My charge wanted some air." Kouji answered, completely unthreatened by the other bandit.

Genrou lifted his arm and let the bird perch on a low branch of a tree, twirling a small flower between his fingers.

"What's that?" Kaede asked, pointing.

He tossed it into her lap. It was a small liliac.

"What's this supposed to mean?" She stood, holding up the flower.

"Meetin' place number two." Genrou answered. He neared Kouji and leaned in towards him. "I gotta head down t'that White Dragon place t'night."

"Need assistance?" Kouji asked, his voice low and serious.

"Keep the men here."

Kouji looked past Genrou at Kaede, who was watching the two curiously. "Whatta 'bout her?"

He thought for a moment. "I'll take her with me—keep 'er covered. I don't want her outta my sight, just in case she is…"

Kouji nodded. He opened his mouth to say something, but then noticed that the brunette had gotten much closer and was trying to listen in.

When both bandits stopped talking and looked at her, she frowned. "Were you talking about me?"

Genrou waved his hand at her. "We're goin' back inside. C'mon."

Kaede maneuvered through the darkness, having a hard time since Genrou was walking so fast. The second the sun had set he had tossed a large shawl at her and half-dragged her out of Reikaku so they could go to "meeting place number two." Kaede knew the bird had been sent as a messenger, but who were they meeting? Another bandit? An informant of some kind?

Almost tripping over a tree root, she reached forward and held onto part of Genrou's cloak, making it a little easier to navigate. Whether he noticed or not, he didn't say anything.

After a very long walk, the faint sounds of the village could be heard. Genrou stopped, looking around. The village wasn't anything like Tokyo—Kaede could barely make out anything. There were only a few lanterns here and there, a few lit windows. She heard her companion start moving again, but she couldn't tell where.

"Genrou?" She whispered, a little scared.

A hand grabbed hers and she stifled a yelp of surprise. Genrou shushed her and pulled her through the shadows. They stopped again outside a building—a bar by the way it sounded. Genrou directed her to the back of the structure, behind where the horses were tied up.

"Where are we?" Kaede whispered, pulling the shawl off her head.

"Th' White Dragon." Came a reply so quiet it was barely audible.

The conversation after that was nonexistent for nearly 10 minutes as the two waited in pure silence by the bar. Every now and then a horse would grunt or kicked its hooves into the dirt.

"Genrou?"

He didn't respond, but she could tell he was listening.

"Who are the Suzaku Seven?"

He turned towards her sharply, what little light there was reflecting off his amber eyes.

"…Kouji told me you were one of them." She explained silently.

"I'll tell ya when we get back. Be quiet."

Kaede folded her arms and again waited in the darkness, making sure even her breathing was mute. She imagined there was a good reason for their hushed presence.

After another five minutes, the sounds of footsteps could be heard coming their way. Kaede froze, Genrou peeked around to see who it was. Before he could make out anything though, a sword was drawn loudly from its sheath, the glimmering blade being pointed at his throat.

"What do we have here?" A low, grizzly voice asked. "Konan citizens out passed curfew?"

Genrou cursed in his mind as the blade pushed into his neck, right below his adam's apple.

Kaede felt a rough hand cover her mouth, a thick arm wrapping around her chest to keep her from moving. She struggled, trying to shout out to Genrou.

Genrou turned his head to confront the soldier who had Kaede, but the persistence of the sword at his neck forbid him not too.

"What's yer name, boy?" The armed soldier asked.

Kaede watched in fear as the deadly blade threatened Genrou. She could make out his hand trying to inconspicuously reach behind him, as if trying to get something underneath his cloak.

"I _asked_ what yer _name_ was!" The soldier shouted. Getting not response, the soldier drew his weapon back. "You'll be sorry for yer disobidience!"

When the sword didn't come down, Kaede strained her eyes to see why, and made out a pale hand around the large man's wrist. As the guard turned around, something hit him, and he went flying back into the side of the tavern.

The man holding Kaede shoved her to the ground and he ran at his cohort's attacker, raising a long spear over his shoulder. He lunged at the cloaked individual, but at no avail. The stranger stepped to the side gracefully, grabbing the spear as it passed by and yanking it from the Kutou man's hands. He spun it around swiftly and hit the soldier in the back of the head with it, the spear breaking in two from the force. The first solider got back up to fight again, but Genrou retrieved the item he had been searching for from his back and hit him in the stomach with it, sending the soldier into unconsciousness.

Kaede stood up slowly, trying to calm the shaking in her hands and knees. Genrou pushed his cape aside, putting the metallic object into a hoister on his back.

"Was that good timin' or were ya tryin' t'make an entrance?" He asked, a little louder than a whisper.

"Since when did we meet on the north end of the bar?" The stranger retaliated, also hushed.

Kaede stepped up and instinctively latched onto Genrou's arm, hiding herself behind him as she peered at the stranger.

"I'll explain later." Genrou spoke to the cloaked figure. "Let's go before back up comes."

After nearly running the whole way back to Reikaku, the three entered through a different passage, one that was wedged tightly between a large boulder and a thick oak tree. Kaede was relieved to be back in safety, and collapsed against the tunnel walls in exhaustion.

Genrou untied the strings of his clock and let it fall off, taking a second to regain his breath. "We're lucky there were only two. Y'picked a bad meetin' place."

"Not like we couldn't have handled them." The stranger replied, taking a second to adjust his sleeves.

Tired of being left out of the loop, Kaede spoke up. "Who are you?"

The shorter figure reached up and grabbed the hood of his cloak, pulling it off to reveal his face. His skin was paler than Genrou's, and his features had a much softer look to them. Wisps of purple bangs fell over his forehead.

"This is Nuriko, he's one of th' Suzaku seven." Genrou gave a quick introduction. "This is the reason I sent fer ya." He regarded Kaede.

Deciding to go somewhere more private, the trio navigated through the tunnels to Genrou's room. Genrou turned up the lanterns for more light.

"This is Kaede." He clarified. "Notice anythin' about her?"

Nuriko scanned the girl over. Kaede was getting really tired of being stared at by strange men.

"Her clothes…" He said. "They look like Miaka's, don't they?" A look of sad remembrance echoed in his mauve colored eyes.

Genrou folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "I don't suppose ya heard anythin' about—"

"The soldiers…" Nuriko interrupted. His eyes watched Kaede, though he still addressed Genrou, "I overheard some soldiers last night talking about a young woman who tried to break the citizenry laws, a girl who emitted red light…" He turned back to Genrou. "When I got your message, I figured you had heard about it too, but is she…?"

"I don't know." The redhead sighed, running a hand through his hair, "c'n there even be two?"

Kaede stared as the two older men talked, wondering who on earth Miaka was, and what there could possibly be "two" of. Not only that, but this Nuriko was one of the Suzaku seven too… but who were the Suzaku seven supposed to be anyway?

"It's been two years, Tasuki." Nuriko folded his arms, glancing to Kaede, "and Miaka never even had a chance to perform the ceremony. It… does still seem strange though…"

Tasuki? Who was Tasuki?

"But th' light." Genrou retorted, hiding some frustration, "I saw it myself. There's no way she could emit light like that and not have somethin' t'do with Suzaku." His voice implemented hope. "And she ain't from this world, like th' legend says…"

It was silent for a moment before Nuriko spoke quietly, "and… there was Yui."

Genrou's eyes widened.

Kaede was aggravated. First, there was Miaka, then a Tasuki… _Who is this Yui?_

"Remember, in Kutou?" Nuriko asked, sadness lightly waving on his voice.

_"Tasuki no da!" Chichiri shouted, stepping in front of the bandit as he lunged foreward. Nuriko held his upper-arm tightly to keep him back, but anger flashed in his own eyes as well._

_"I… I'm sorry…" Yui apologized, knotting her fingers together tightly._

_"_ _Like that'll do us any good now." Tasuki said coldly. "Look at what ya did! An entire country has t'suffer cause of you!"_

_"Tasuki…" Chichiri's voice pleaded._

_"Yui," Nuriko's tone held a sound of resentment, "Just leave now. There's nothing more you can do here… or to any of us."_

_"I said I was sorry, okay!" The blonde blurted out, tears sweltering over her eyelashes. "Do you think I really wanted any of this! Do you think I wanted Miaka to die? She was my best friend!" Her voice cracked harshly, but she couldn't restrain it. "I didn't mean to ruin your lives, I didn't! If I could do it over again…"_

_Tasuki strained against Nuriko and Chichiri's grip, but gave up without a fight. "Chichiri," he spoke, "let's go before some of these damn henchmen get after us again…"_

_"I'm sorry…" Yui whispered, tears running down her cheeks. "I'll…I'll make it better, I promise…" _

"We got our powers back a few days after that." Genrou remembered.

Nuriko rubbed his chin. "Maybe she didn't just unseal Suzaku, maybe she…"

"Stop!" Kaede's demanding voice interrupted the dialogue lying out before her. Getting the attention of both men, she took a deep breath an continued. "Will someone _please_ tell me what's going on? Who the heck is Miaka? Yui? And why did you call him Tasuki?" She barely took a second for a breath, "and who is the "other one" that I'm supposed to be, and who are the Suzaku seven, and since when did you have powers!"

"…You didn't tell her?"

"I was waitin' fer you."

"Kaede, maybe you should sit down." Nuriko advised, waving towards the bed. Kaede obeyed, and sat down on the end of the mattress. Nuriko grabbed a chair, and Genrou remained standing.

"There's a legend," Nuriko began, "That says when a country is about to face destruction, a girl from another world will appear and become priestess to their god, and save the land. Our god is Suzaku."

Kaede nodded slowly, feeling as if she had walked into a page from Greek mythology.

"How old are you?"

The question seemed off topic, but she answered anyway. "17."

Nuriko smiled. "Miaka, she would be your age by now…" Shaking his head to push the memories away, he went on. "Miaka was a girl like you who came here two years ago, she was the Priestess of Suzaku. She followed the legend and found all seven of Suzaku's holy warriors, Tasuki and myself included."

"Tasuki?" She repeated the name and looked at Genrou. "That's your name?"

"One of 'em." Tasuki replied.

"Miaka's friend, Yui, was brought into our world around the same time Miaka was, and she became the Priestess of Seiryu. Seiryu is the beast god who watches over Kutou."

A slight scowl appeared on Tasuki's face, but he didn't say anything.

"It seems…" Nuriko took a deep breath, "the morning we were going to perform the ceremony to summon Suzaku, something happened." He paused again, "Chiriko, who we _thought_ was Chiriko, another one of the Suzaku seishi, I mean, turned out to be one of the Seiryu warriors in disguise. He had been sent by Nakago to—"

"Another Seiryu seven?" Kaede guessed. A nod showed she was right.

"He had been sent by Nakago to foil the ceremony. However…"

"Th' kid chickened out." Tasuki took up where Nuriko left off. "He either got scared or realized what he was doin' was stupid, but he disappeared the morning before the ceremony." He unfolded his arms and folded them the other way. "I guess since he didn't do his job, Nakago figured he'd do it fer him."

"It happened so fast." Nuriko stood up. "Miaka, she was so full of life, and he took all of it away from her in an instant. We… we couldn't do anything."

Kaede swallowed hard, feeling the back of her eyes grow warm.

"After that, Yui summoned Seiryu, sealed away Suzaku, and gave Konan to Kutou's emperor. All we know of her last wish was that it unsealed Suzaku."

"Wish?"

"Once the beast-god is summoned, the priestess is granted three wishes." Nuriko explained.

Kaede took a long moment to absorb this information. "Where's Yui now?"

"I don't know the details of what happened to her exactly, but she's dead now." Nuriko replied.

"So… you think I'm the next Priestess of Suzaku?" She voiced the question that had been brewing in her mind.

"Yes." Nuriko said. "You fit the description. Kaede, you may be the answer to our prayers."

Hearing those words again made Kaede's heart race. Her blue eyes glimmered with restrained willingness, but she turned her head sharply away and stood up from the mattress. "I can't."

"What?" Tasuki asked, obviously shocked by her answer.

"I can't!" She repeated. "I want to help you, I really do, but I can't. Don't you remember…Tasuki?" She asked, worry rising in her words, "I have four days to get back to my world before I run out of insulin! I can't become the Suzaku no Miko, or… I'll be just like she was, Miaka…"

Seeing confusion on Nuriko's face, she quickly left the room and returned with her black meter case, unzipping it to show him. "I'm sure you don't understand any of this either, but I'm a diabetic, and in this world, you don't have the medicine I need to stay alive." She pointed to the syringes before tossing the case onto Tasuki's bed. "In four days… I'll go comatose. I don't know how long I'll be like that before I…" Kaede didn't finish her sentence, but her point came across clearly.

The long, uncomfortable silence lasted an eerily long time. "There's no way I know of to get you back, Kaede. Unless, perhaps, we go to Mt. Taikyouku, but that might take too long and we wouldn't be able to get very far without running into problems from Kutou."

"There's always… Mitsukake."

Nuriko and Kaede both looked up at the name.

"I've been thinkin' about it, and it's th'only way fer her to survive. We gotta bring her t'him."

"Mitsukake?" Kaede repeated the strange name.

"Another warrior, like us." Nuriko explained.

"How can he…?"

"He's a doctor. He has the ability t'heal people." He put a hand on the brunette's shoulder. "He can heal ya, Kaede." He turned back to Nuriko. "That's another reason why I need ya. You gotta find out where Mitsukake is."

Nuriko nodded, but his face revealed his unsure thoughts. "Tracking him down will be hard enough, but how would we bring Kaede to him?"

"Why?" Kaede asked, "What's wrong?"

"Ever since Big Blue took over, Mitsukake's been forced t'travel with the Kutou armies." Tasuki explained. "He could be anywhere… Kutou, Konan… hell, he could even be in th'palace or somethin'."

"Which means security is pretty high." Nuriko pointed out. "I can try to find him, but—"

"You only have four days." Kaede realized the doubt in his mind. She sat back down on the bed.

Nuriko tilted Kaede's chin up and gave her a reassuring smile. "Suzaku didn't bring you here for nothing, Kaede. We'll find Mitsukake and take care of you, I promise."

Kaede smiled, suppressing the panic forming in her stomach.

"I should go now, then." Nuriko stepped back from the bed, fixing his cloak and putting the hood back on. "I can't waste anytime."

"Good luck. We're countin' on ya." Tasuki said.

Nuriko nodded. "I know, Tasuki. I know."

"Come in." Kaede called when a knock came at her door.

Tasuki entered the room, carrying a thick blanket and some folded garments with him. He grabbed the clothes and tossed the wool sheet to Kaede. "It gets kinda cold down here, y'might want this."

Kaede took the blanket and unfolded it. "Arigatou."

He put the clothes on the small table. "And these're fer tomorrow. They're probably a bit big, but they're clean."

"Arigatou."

Nearly an hour later, as Tasuki was heading back to his room after a conference with some of the other bandits, he saw light peeking through the cracks of Kaede's door. He went up to it and quietly opened it, surprised to find the girl still awake.

"You okay?"

Kaede sat on the edge of her bed, knees and hands together, a worried expression on her face. She nodded in response to the question.

Tasuki was skeptical. "Y'sure?"

She hesitated, then shook her head in the negative, hand quickly racing to her eyes to wipe away pending tears. "I'm… I'm scared." She bit her lip and furiously used the other hand to wipe her eyes. "I mean… my father is probably worried sick, and I'm going to get behind in school, and I h-have a swim m-meet next week that I can't miss…" Her voice shrank towards the end of her last sentence. She wiped her eyes again with the back of her wrist, frustrated. "And this whole priestess thing, and my…" he shook her head, turning her face away from Tasuki. "Sorry, I can be such a baby sometimes…"

"Nah." Tasuki spoke, stepping into the room. "It's okay. Girls aren't much fun anyway if they won't cry a little."

A quick sob escaped Kaede's desperate struggle. Tasuki left the doorway and sat next to her on the bed.

"Jus' let it out." He advised, hating the way Kaede was suffering. "There are times when even I feel like cryin' a little."

Kaede glanced at him, her eyes red from her attempts to hold back the tears. She wanted him to leave so badly, but then again, he was the only person she knew in this world whom she could consider any sort of friend. Something about the look on his face assured her of his sincerity.

"G-gomen…"

With a short delay, Tasuki put his hand on her shoulder. "I said it's okay. Just cry if ya want to."

With that the walls of Kaede's restraint broke free and her hands rushed up to her face, tears soaking her palms. Tasuki waited with her while she cried, offering her his shoulder when she needed it.


End file.
